"While some Mon groups contend that there are between 4 million and 8 million in Burma, 2007 estimates from sources such as the US State Department are much lower, being in the vicinity of 2 per cent of the country’s total population, or just below 1 million. The latter estimates appear much too low though, perhaps because they may refer to speakers of Mon, whereas higher estimates may be of those who have Mon ancestry. Most ethnic Mon live in or near Mon State, wedged between Thailand to its east and the Andaman Sea coastline to its west.
Mon is a Monic language from the Mon-Khmer group of Austro-Asiatic languages, though many also use the Burmese language and are literate only in Burmese. The vast majority of Mon are Theravada Buddhists, with some elements of animist practices..."

INTRODUCTION:
"Over the years, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) has produced a number of accounts highlighting the hardship faced by Mon people who have become victims to land confiscation. In this report, HURFOM reports on the effects from the recent surge of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) coming into Burma.
This FDI report aims to elaborate on the activities of and express solidarity with local people who are directly or indirectly being affected by FDI, especially linked to companies that will burn coal to fire their power plants. To exhibit current challenges and bring into focus some of the key obstacles and changes in the Mon context, this report uses case studies of appeals and direct interviews with people living in Mon State, who are also living in the vicinity of new investment projects. It will specifically look at different Townships in Mon State which have new or older investment projects. HURFOM recommends effective and immediate solutions to the problems that these foreign investors create, especially in relation to environmental destruction and displacement.
This report will discuss the different and complex ways in which FDI influences and changes the lives of local people, not only changes in agriculture but also how they have to adjust their way of life. FDI cripples their livelihoods, physically and mentally, changing Burma’s minority ethnic communities.
This report is considered essential for raising awareness and gaining a better understanding of good governance shortcomings in relation to violations by industries, especially concerning the protection of the livelihoods of local people. Furthermore, it may serve as an input for discussions and formulations of guidelines, rules and legal documents to protect local people against exploitation, land-grabbing, land confiscation and unfair compensation. Finally, it will support the country in tackling the present day and future challenges in order to create a prosperous future in equality, not only for a few, but for all people of Burma..."

INTRODUCTION:
"Over the years, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) has produced a number of accounts highlighting the hardship faced by Mon people who have become victims to land confiscation. In this report, HURFOM reports on the effects from the recent surge of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) coming into Burma.
This FDI report aims to elaborate on the activities of and express solidarity with local people who are directly or indirectly being affected by FDI, especially linked to companies that will burn coal to fire their power plants. To exhibit current challenges and bring into focus some of the key obstacles and changes in the Mon context, this report uses case studies of appeals and direct interviews with people living in Mon State, who are also living in the vicinity of new investment projects. It will specifically look at different Townships in Mon State which have new or older investment projects. HURFOM recommends effective and immediate solutions to the problems that these foreign investors create, especially in relation to environmental destruction and displacement.
This report will discuss the different and complex ways in which FDI influences and changes the lives of local people, not only changes in agriculture but also how they have to adjust their way of life. FDI cripples their livelihoods, physically and mentally, changing Burma’s minority ethnic communities.
This report is considered essential for raising awareness and gaining a better understanding of good governance shortcomings in relation to violations by industries, especially concerning the protection of the livelihoods of local people. Furthermore, it may serve as an input for discussions and formulations of guidelines, rules and legal documents to protect local people against exploitation, land-grabbing, land confiscation and unfair compensation. Finally, it will support the country in tackling the present day and future challenges in order to create a prosperous future in equality, not only for a few, but for all people of Burma..."

"“We have to work with the voice of the people,” Nai Aue Mon tells me in Sangkhlaburi, Thailand, as we discuss the recent rise of land confiscation and land disputes in the Mon State. Aue Mon has been with the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) since 1999, when he started witnessing the abuse and violations of the rights of civilians in the Mon State. He first began working as a journalist for the Mon publication Guiding Star, before beginning his work as documenting and defending human rights. In this in-depth interview, Nai Aue Mon explains about the historical and current human rights situation in the Mon areas, as well as the ongoing and emerging struggles and challenges faced by the tens of thousands of IDPs (internally displaced persons) in his native Mon State. Nai Aue Mon has great hopes for the future of the country, particularly in the context of the new NLD government taking office. But amidst these hopes, however, on the ground situation indicates a turn from physical violations to increasing land conflicts driven “under the name of development.” Nai Aue Mon is now the Program Director of HURFOM, and hopes to realise their long term goal of bringing transitional justice and memorialization activities to the victims of this decades-long abuse."

Executive Summary: "The State of Local Governance: Trends in Mon - UNDP Myanmar 2014
This report presents the findings from the Local Governance Mapping conducted in Mon
State between December 2013 and January 2014.
With an estimated population of 1.9 million,1
Mon State is one of Myanmar’s most well-
connected and prosperous states/regions. Economic activity is driven by agriculture,
forestry, fishing and mining - the state is a major producer of rice and rubber crop. The
security situation has stabilised following the ratification of a ceasefire agreement between
the Union government and the Mon National Liberation Army - a non-state armed group -
in 2012, and the state is now experiencing a new period of stability and engagement between
government and non-state actors. Still, pockets of volatility remain, and a long-term political
solution towards peace and reconciliation has yet to be achieved.
For the Local Governance Mapping in Mon State, Bilin, Chaungzon, Kyaikmaraw, Paung,
Thanbyuzayat and Ye townships were selected. 576 respondents from 12 villages across these
six townships shared their perceptions and experiences related to local governance.2
Nearly
half of them were between 41-60 years of age - researchers highlighted difficulty in sourcing
younger respondents across all six representative townships, reportedly due to migration
of working-age labour to nearby Thailand and Malaysia. 52% of the randomly selected
respondents were ethnic Bamar, 30% Mon and 10% Kayin.
Alongside the opinions of the people, multi-stakeholder dialogues at the community
and township level and primary research on the functioning of local governance in three
townships (Bilin, Chaungzon, and Ye) informed the findings from the Local Governance
Mapping exercise, which are structured along the five core principles of good local governance.
These form the basis of the mapping framework and methodology adopted in Myanmar, viz.
effectiveness and efficiency; transparency and rule of law; accountability; participation; and,
equity. In addition, the mapping exercise has also yielded some significant “process” results,
which are also highlighted below."